WJPA Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have secured their first non-losing season in eight years with a 2-1 win over St. Louis. Ronny Simon scored the winning run on Spencer Horwitz’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. Mason Montgomery closed out the game for Pittsburgh by picking up his 17th save of the season. Pirates ace Paul Skenes ended his season with 6 1/3 strong innings, including earning his 200th strikeout. St. Louis fell to 77-82, marking consecutive losing seasons for the first time since the mid-90s. Pittsburgh now heads to Detroit, while the Cardinals face Philadelphia.

The NFL hasn’t seen an early-season injury epidemic at quarterback quite like this in a long time. With Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Jaxson Dart all getting hurt in Week 2, there’s a good chance six teams will be forced to go with a backup quarterback as the starter because of injuries by the time the games this week are finished. This will be the first time since at least 2000 that has happened within the first three games of a season.

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Deshaun Watson isn’t sure how Browns fans will react on Sunday as he makes his first regular-season home start in Cleveland in nearly two years. Watson is focused on avoiding any tension with fans before facing the Carolina Panthers. He was booed during an August exhibition game and called the reaction “personal.” Watson says he wants to move forward and feel the fans’ support. Cornerback Denzel Ward also hopes for team support from fans. Watson has been performing well, with a high completion rate and effective short passes. He could have a favorable matchup against Carolina’s defense.